But Mr Reis said he feared the repairs would only focus on the landward end of the pier.

He said: ‘We fear that all this talk of work being done is unquantified and without any timescales, and could easily refer to lightweight cosmetics to get the arcade and bars open on the land side while forgetting the real pier – the bit sticking out to sea where people can walk and boats can tie up.

‘There are very different definitions of ‘work’ and ‘repairs’ between the prospective owners and what the public wants.’